Colonials Host No. 11 Rutgers on Friday at Smith Center

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Junior Danni Jackson scored a career-high 22 points to lead four players in double-figures as the George Washington women's basketball team halted its three-game slide with a 74-66 victory over William & Mary at Kaplan Arena.

GW (6-6) yielded the first basket of the game but tied the score on its first possession and never relinquished the lead on the way to its first victory since Dec. 3. The Colonials will host nationally-ranked No. 11 Rutgers on Friday at Smith Center.

Jackson netted her career-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting with two three-pointers to go with three assists and three rebounds. Senior Tiana Myers added 12 points and four rebounds while sophomore Chelisa Painter posted 11 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

Freshman Chakecia Miller, who recorded 10 steals in last week's loss at George Mason, followed that performance with six heists on Wednesday night to go with 10 points and two assists.

Despite a staggering height disadvantage, the Colonials outrebounded William & Mary (6-5), 40-39. GW also netted 30 points in the paint compared to 18 for the Tribe. Redshirt-junior Brooke Wilson paced GW with 12 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

GW's largest lead came midway through the first half as the Colonials pulled ahead by 11 points on a three-pointer from Myers with 10:08 remaining. William & Mary, who went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc to start the game, used three consecutive treys to close the gap and trailed by four, 39-35, at halftime.

Both teams endured a cold streak in the opening moments of the second half, combining to shoot just 3-of-18 from the field in the first five minutes before the Colonials unleashed an 8-2 run to take an eight-point advantage.

Consecutive three-pointers from junior Megan Nipe pushed the lead to 10 and the Colonials assumed control of the momentum, never allowing the Tribe to get closer than five points for the remainder of the game. Nipe finished with eight points, three rebounds and one assist.

Jackson added eight points in the final six minutes, including a pull-up jumper with 5:32 remaining to extend GW's lead to 11 points.

GW's smothering defense forced 20+ turnovers for the sixth time this season while holding W&M to 39 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc.

The Colonials return to action on Friday night when they host No. 11 Rutgers at the Charles E. Smith Center. The last time GW hosted the Scarlet Knights, the Colonials used a 13-0 run to knock off Rutgers, 45-43, on December 30, 2009.